Aneliese and I have been reading a little book of Beatrix Potter nursery rhymes lately and while most of them are quite meaningless and silly, I really like this one.

We have a little garden,

A garden of our own,

And every day  we water there

The seeds that we have sown.

We love our little garden,

And tend it with such care,

You will not find a faded leaf

Or blighted blossom there.

Every time I read it, I think of my little girls, my little ‘gardens’. I know that as their mama, I have such a huge role in guiding them to toward who they will become. And so I often think about the seeds that I am sowing in their lives. Some days I am encouraged as a mama when I see good fruits in my girls. When I see joy and peace radiating from them and I know that I have been blessed to play a part in them. Then there are those days (yesterday) when I feel like I just keep failing. When I see red because Aneliese goes pee on the sheep skin (turned out that she actually didn’t) and when I ask why, the response is “I just feel like being bad”. WHAT!?!? Now what do I do? My good mama skills seem to go right out the door. But then I read this poem again and am reminded that I love my girls, I will do my best, I will use the tools given to me to help cultivate growth in them. BUT, they will still make choices. I’m not perfect and neither are they. And yet we are growing, moving toward the perfection that awaits us. So my little gardens, I will continue to tend you with care.

And, today, we are celebrating our eight month old. I think she is absolutely gorgeous although I will acknowledge that I am biased. This picture was taken yesterday by her daddy and it catches her personality to perfection. Incredibly happy and already mischievous. She started sitting a few weeks ago and now loves, loves, loves to play with toys and yes they inevitably end up in her mouth. She squeals with delight over many things, especially the sight of her sister, and has a ready smile for almost every one. Although she will also furrow her little brow and look intently at people as if she is examining their soul:). I started calling her my little bear cub shortly after she was born because of the grunts and mewing that she would make while sleeping or eating and she continues to live up to her nickname. She growls at her toys while she plays and grunts to get our attention when she wants something, its amazing how much variety she has. She has also developed a love for burying her hands in our hair and trying to eat us. Dangerous! Even as I type, the little bear cub has woken from her nap and is growling to be picked up. As long as I get to her soon, I am sure to be met with happy smiles and sounds.